Microsoft today launched Pix, a new camera app for iPhones. The goal is to make your camera smarter, so you can always get the best shot.
Josh Weisberg is the GPM for Computational Photography at Microsoft Research, and his team made Pix. Weisberg used to be a photographer that shot the Seattle Seahawks, and he notes, "If you see it happen and you aren’t already taking pictures, it’s too late, you missed the shot."
This is something that every photographer - professional or amateur - knows all too well. The best way to get a great photo is to simply take a lot of them, because if you don't, you'll miss the moment.
Pix will take a burst of 10 photos with each shot, some of which will be from before the shutter button was pressed. The user will be able to choose from the best three. While the remaining photos are deleted, the app will extract data from the entire set of photos to "remove noise, and then intelligently brightens faces, beautifies skin and adjusts the picture’s color and tone." According to Microsoft, this process should take about a second.
The app will also decide if there's any motion in the image that's worth making a Live Image (not to be confused with Living Images or Live Photos) out of. This effect will be automatic, rather than the toggle one would have to use with any other variant of a moving image.
Microsoft will also be launching Hyperlapse on iOS today as well, an app that launched on Android and Windows Phone last year. The app uses image stabilization algorithms that "makes boring long videos more fun to watch, less nauseating and easier to share".
Of course, if you want the whole set of Microsoft camera apps for iOS, you'll need Selfie as well, which launched at the end of last year.
Pix will run on anything with an A7 processor or better. In other words, you'll need at least an iPhone 5s. If you're one of those that enjoys taking pictures with an iPad (shame!), you can use the app on anything better than an iPad Air or iPad Mini 2.
You can download Pix from the App Store right here.
Source: Microsoft News Center
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